273 / 

55 

A WORK 

S, ) ON 

1 fliifM iliiili 



CO 



$ 







COMPLETE 

FROM THE SEED TO THE PICKER. 

Being an Experience of Fifteen Years. 



S. M. MILLER, Publisher 

REFTON, LANCASTER COUNTY, PA. * 



COPYRIGHT, 




LANCASTER, PA. 
JXO. F. FEARSOL, PRINT. 

1880. 







A WORK 



ON 



COMPLETE 



FROM THE SEED TO THE PACKER, 

Being an Experience of Fifteen Years. 



,v^r s 



S. M. MILLER, Publisher, 

REFTON, LANCASTER COUNTY, PA. 



COPYRIGHT APPLIED FOR. 



fa* CO?™^^ 
l \ J\'U. I ' 

Of WASH*** 



LANCASTER, PA. 

JNO. H. PEARSOL, PRINT, 

l880, 



In presenting this work to the public, the intention of the Author 
is not designed to rob the Farmer of his rights or lay out a new road 
to success; he feels assured he will receive the co-operation of every 
well-thinking Tobacco grower. Knowing full well it will come before 
the eyes of an envious few. It was written for a guide to those who 
can appreciate it for what it is worth; claiming it to be a guide to 
none of more experience than himself, but to those of less it is dedi- 
cated. The Author. 






A WORK M TOBACCO CULTURE. 



In preparing this work on Tobacco Culture, the Author's 
aim has been to produce a work which should be recog- 
nized by the grower as striking a just balance between 
conflicting theories, and as embodying what is best in the 
modern methods of Tobacco farming. 

Naturally we might expect to find the condition of those 
engaged in the cultivation of Tobacco, both hopeful and 
prosperous. As a matter pf fact, there is no other crop 
more languishing, or one that requires more care and at- 
tention, and lets the mind of the grower in a more unset- 
tled state. A spirit of rivalry seems to exist in the minds 
of every one to have the most forward crop; next to have 
the longest and broadest leaves; and lastly to receive the 
most money. Yet if he has a forward crop, his mind is 
not at ease; perhaps the late maturing will be the best. 
If he can boast of some very large leaves; perhaps if his 
crop was more uniform in size, it would have been better 
in the end. And last, when he has received for his crop 
a fair price, his mind is not at rest lest his neighbor re- 
ceives a better price. In view of a contrast so marked, 
we are at once and irresistably led to inquire into its cause, 
and to consider whether a remedy may not be found. To 
the Tobacco grower himself, who looks to this crop as in 
this section he is forced to do, as his chief if not only 
money crop, the solution of this problem is one of over- 
shadowing importance. To settle at once this restlessness 
in the mind of the grower, and teach him to aim at some- 
thing higher, so he may forget the rivalry of his neighbor, 
the early history of the plant," the derivation of its name, 
whether Nicot, Sir Walter Raleigh, or some other person 
was the first to bring it to the attention of the civilized 
world; whether it was at Jamestown, in Virginia, or at 
some other place in the path of our early settlers that it 
was discovered, it matters not; let it suffice that it was 
somewhere, and by some one. 



What are its elementary constituents, what its chemical 
and medicinal properties? These and all kindred questions 
pale into insignificance beside the one pertinent practical 
inquiry: How may the production of Tobacco be made 
more remunerative to the producer in this country? Turn- 
ing aside then from the early history of this plant, now 
becomes but little more a luxury than a necessity of life; 
leaving it to others to trace its gradual but steady progress 
trom a limited use in a crude condition by savage tribes 
to its present universal adoption in the various attractive 
forms in which it is to-day offered in every land and every 
clime. It will be our endeavor in this work to give you 
such instruction as will be for your lasting benefit. There 
has been great progress in the production of the Tobacco 
crop, but not in the way I would wish to see. Allow me 
to^give you a few figures to show more fully what I refer 
to : In the year 1878 the entire crop in the State of Penn- 
sylvania amounted to twenty-two million eight hundred 
thousand pounds (22,800,000), raised on nineteen thous- 
and acres (19,000), and brought two million two hundred 
thousand dollars ($2,200,000), while the crop of the year 
1879 in Lancaster county alone brought over three million 
dollars ($3,000,000). That is certainly a great increase. 
What I would wish to see is, the number of acres decreased 
and the yield per acre increased. And let me say, brother 
farmer, until we aim at this we are laboring under a 
difficulty. Let us resolve in the next two years to plant 
at least one acre less, and raise one thousand pounds more 
of good Tobacco. Let us aim at quality instead of quan- 
tity. Some — yes, many Tobacco growers — have been so 
absorbed in their haste to get rich by growing this crop, 
that they have allowed their ambition to get the better of 
their sound judgment; and they think that to farm five (5) 
acres and 1000 pounds to the acre will pay as well as three 
(3) acres and (2000) pounds to the acre. They seem to 
consider the amount of acres is all that is necessary. With 
this statement respecting the erroneous ideas in the minds 
of some of our growers, I would earnestly invite their 
attention to some of the more salient and general features 
of this book. 

In the treatment of Tobacco, both here and elsewhere, it 
has seemed very manifest to the author, that as a ^practical 



work, it is of the highest importance to lodge in the 
minds of the inexperienced grower, a definite knowledge 
that will stand by him when he needs aid. I doubt not 
the grower will gladly suffer the absence of the conven- 
tional jejune description of the Irishman, the Italian, the 
Esquimaux and the Chinese, when they find the space 
occupied with matter of solid importance. The prepara- 
tion of this work has occupied much of the, author's time, 
and his most earnest efforts for the last fifteen years ; it is 
therefore not without anxiety that he awaits the verdict of 
those alone who are competent to pass judgment upon it. 
It affords him, however, a good hope of a favorable recep- 
tion for the work, that it is the first of a careful study 
of the best methods as practiced by all successful Tobacco 
growers in Lancaster county. 

The Selecting and Management of the Seed Stalk. 

In the first place, it is highly necessary for every one 
growing Tobacco, to have his own seed and plenty of it. 
And not less important, is to have good seed. It is poor 
policy to depend upon your neighbor or the seed dealer 
to furnish you with seed; for upon the kind of seed you 
sow, and the variety of the Tobacco it happens to be, 
greatly depends your crop. If you depend upon some 
one else to furnish you with seed, you may get an 
inferior article. And perhaps your seed will not come up 
after having been sown, or at least not more than one- 
third of it, and the result is, you have your seed to pay 
for, your time and labor in preparing your bed, and sow- 
ing your seed lost, and you have your plants to buy in the 
end. In the next place, you may get a variety of plants 
that is far from what they should be, or what you would 
like to grow; and the greatest trouble is, you cannot dis- 
cover the mistake until it is too late, and your time and 
labor is lost, and the result is a crop that will not meet 
your expectations. Instead of two thousand pounds to the 
acre, you have perhaps twelve hundred or less. It is 
a great mistake to think that seed is seed, and Tobacco is 
all alike. I would ask my farmer friends, why do you 
strive to get the choicest ears of corn, or that corn that 
has come the nearest to perfection; and in fact all other 



crops the farmer grows. His object is to secure the best 
seed. Then why should he depend upon his neighbor or 
the dealer to furnish him with seed for a crop of Tobacco, 
the very crop that he can lose the most or make the most 
money on. Now, my object is, to inform you how to get 
good seed, of a good variety; and that is, grow it your- 
self. I do not want to be impertinent in my language, 
but I am stating facts, for it is the only way left for you 
to be sure of* a good crop. In the first place, plant as 
early as convenient quite a number of plants; say two 
hundred (200) on the richest piece of ground you have. 
You may say why, what do you want with two hundred 
(200) seed stalks. Just wait ;out of those stalks I want 
you to select those only that will make good seed; for it 
is certain that all stalks will not produce good seed, no 
more than each stalk of corn will produce equally as good 
or perfect an ear. Now, when you have your plants set 
early, in good rich soil, you have nothing more to do 
than to keep it clean as you would the rest of your Tobacco 
patch, until your stalks begin to shoot, when it is neces- 
sary to go over your patch and top all inferior stalks, leav- 
ing those only stand that have a strong, vigorous growth. 
The next important step to be taken is, when the stalk 
commence to bloom; this will have to be watched with 
great care. Do not allow any stalk to go to seed that has 
not got a queen pod, unless it stands very close to one or 
more that has; as a stalk that has not got a queen pod, is 
to a certain extent barren, and will not produce good 
seed. What I mean by a queen pod is this: The main 
pod that grows out from the fork, or right in the fork of 
the main stalk. The advantages of the queen pod is this: 
it contains the life germ; or to it depends the fruitfulness 
of the stalk. You may say then, why let any. if ever so 
close, stand for seed .without this pod. I will answer: 
''The pollen from the queen pod of one stalk will, if close, 
impregnate the flower of the other stalk that has no queen 
pod, and make them both fruitful; but it is highly neces- 
sary that the stalk or stalks that are to derive fruitfulness 
from one stalk, they must all be in bloom at the same time, 
otherwise it is of no use. Now, a very important point 
is this: You perceive the bloom does not all appear at 
the same time. This also must be watched very carefully. 



Just as the bloom of the queen pod becomes dry, or falls 
off, all the bloom that may be on the stalk at the time or 
may come on after, must be sheared off. After this is 
done carefully, look over your seed stalk, and any pod 
that does not grow from the fork of a branch or from 
where a branch grew out; or, in order to make it still 
plainer, any pod that may grow from the main stem as if 
it grew just out of the bark, cut it off, it is not good and 
will spoil your seed. If, when you have followed my 
advice, you have only from ten (10) to twenty (20) pods 
to a stalk, do not be alarmed; it is all for the best. Fol- 
low this process for a few years, and you will not only 
surprise your neighbors, but you will be surprised yourself 
at the improvements you have made in your crop with so 
little labor. I can assure you it will not only be a pleas- 
ant surprise, but it will be a financial surprise, which is 
the more agreeable. Never rob your seed stalks of their 
leaves until after their bloom has all fallen off, as by 
stripping the leaves off too soon you may ruin your stalks. 
But after the bloom has fallen off, the leaves may be taken 
off. And let the stalk stand until the pods have all 
turned brown and dry, then cut the tops off, tie up in 
bunches and hang up in your garret so as to keep dry and 
get plenty of air, until they become perfectly dry, stalk 
and pod, when you can hull the seed and bottle it up for 
use. If you follow this advice you will have plenty of 
good seed for yourself that you can rely upon. 

The Selection of the Seed Bed. 

You should by all means select a southern slope, and 
should be protected from the cold north winds. If you 
have not got such a position given you by nature, 
you can at a trifling cost and with very little labor make 
just the kind of a place you wish. After selecting the 
most convenient place for your seed bed, dig into the 
ground eight (8) feet apart, posts of any kind and as many 
of them as you wish. You must be governed by the 
quantity of plants you wish to raise. After having your 
posts set, board it up close, about five (5) feet high. 
That will keep off the cold winds. South of this you can 
make as many beds as you see fit. Do not make your 



8 

beds more than four (4) feet wide, with paths between 
them at least twenty (20) inches wide. Your beds, if of 
this size, will be more handy to weed and to pull the 
plants than if they are too wide. They should also be 
boarded up so as to be more convenient. It is very ne- 
cessary to make all needful calculations in time so as not 
to be hurried too much when the time comes that you 
want to prepare your beds and make them ready to receive 
the seed — as you will doubtless find by following me to 
the end, that the Tobacco in all its different stages requires 
very careful management, and it will pay no one to hurry 
over any part of it. 

The Preparation of the Seed Bed. 

This I propose to do the previous fall, just before the 
ground freezes up. After you have yourprotection put in 
place as described, proceed to board up your beds; this 
you can do by driving stakes into the ground and nailing 
boards against them ; then let the north side be, say one 
foot high, with the other side about four inches high; that 
will give the beds a good slope to the sun. Having 
your beds boarded up, the next in order is, secure plenty 
of good fine manure ; that from the horse stable is the 
best ; put it on unsparingly, spade it in as deep as possible, 
and rake it as level as you can. After you have your beds 
thus dug, secure for every one hundred (100) square feet, 
say two (2) bushels of saw dust, which can be obtained at 
any saw mill, two (2) bushels of chip dirt from your wood 
pile, and two (2) bushels of new dirt ; that is, soil that 
has not been cultivated. This you can readily get from 
your fence corners, by digging off the sod and taking only 
the soil; run the whole through a riddle so as to remove 
all the coarse chips or stone that may be in it, mix thor- 
oughly together, and spread evenly upon your bed. This 
quantity is sufficient for one hundred (100) square feet ; 
fix each bed in this manner. After this is done cover 
your beds over with good manure from the horse stable, 
at least three (3) inches thick, which will prevent the 
escape of ammonia from the soil; and in fact will add to 
it by the rains falling upon the manure and soaking in 
during the winter. And in fact manure only acts upon 



vegetation after it has turned into a liquid state. Give 
yourself no more trouble about your beds until just before 
you are ready to sow your seed in the spring, then rake 
off your manure carefully; and with your garden rake, 
rake thoroughly your beds over as level and evenly as pos- 
sible; let it lay for at least four (4) hours in the sun, so as 
to become perfectly dry upon the surface, which will be a 
guide to you to sow your seed by. Just previous to sow- 
ing, secure about six (6) quarts of hen manure, pulverize 
it, add to it one pint of common salt and mix well together. 
This quantity is for one hundred (100) square feet; sow 
evenly over your bed, rake lightly; after this is done, your 
beds are ready to receive the seed. 

How to Sprout the Seed. 

Take a quantity of seed, say from one to five teaspoon- 
fuls, have it inclosed in a cloth of any kind for conveni- 
ence; now have a short piece of board, say one foot 
square, over this board spread two thicknesses of old 
woolen cloth; now soak your package of seed at least 
twelve hours in lukewarm water, then open your package, 
spread it upon the board, and cover with two more 
thicknesses of woolen cloth and place in a warm place of 
an even temperature; dip it again into warm water just 
before it becomes dry. It has to be watched very care- 
fully so as not to become too dry, or the sprout will wilt 
and die. Just as soon as the seed bursts and the tiny 
sprouts appear evenly through your batch of seed, it is 
ready to sow. . Very many people spoil their seed in 
sprouting it, by leaving it become too dry, or by keeping 
it too wet, or by smothering it, as light and air is very 
essential to the germination of all seeds. If when your 
seed is ready to sow and the weather will not allow you 
to sow it for some time, or until the seed becomes too 
much sprouted, you had better throw them away than 
sow them. You should, however, not allow yourself to 
be caught without seed on the way ; so that in case your 
one lot should not do, you can fall back upon another 
supply. You should not sow your seed all at one time. 
If you wish to plant any quantity of Tobacco, you cannot, 
and in fact should not plant it all at one time. The same 



io 

way you must make it with your seed sowing; sow some 
now, and in three or four days after sow again, and in a 
few days after sow another bed, so that you will not beat 
a loss when you come to plant. 

The Proper Time for Sowing Seed. 

Sprouted seed should be sown any time from the fif- 
teenth of April to the fifth of May. Seed sown earlyMn 
April, should by all means be covered; at any rate after 
night, so as to protect the tender tiny plant from the cold 
night air and the danger of frost. Some use glass, some 
bristles, some light muslin. The author prefers muslin, 
for it answers the same purpose and is far more conveni- 
ent, and the cost is very trifling, as it can handily be re- 
moved in case you want to water or for any other reason. 
It is a mistaken idea that it takes as long to grow the 
plants as the Tobacco. From thirty-five to forty days is 
time enough to grow plants, if you sow seed properly 
sprouted and properly cared for. 

How to Sow the Seeds. 

The only safe way to sow sprouted seed, is to sow with 
water. Take your watering can almost full of lukewarm 
water, and into this place a heaped teaspoonful of the 
sprouted seed. If the surface of your bed is dry, as it 
should be. you can very readily, with a little care, sow 
your seed even, as you can see just where your water falls; 
and where the water falls the seed will fall too. Care 
must be taken to keep the seed well stirred up in the can, 
as it will settle to the bottom. This you can easily do by 
simply shaking the can, or by catching it by the carrying 
handle instead of the other one, this will cause the water 
in the spout to rush back into the can, thus stirring the 
seed up completely. Do this several times while sowing, 
and with care you will have the seed sown evenly over 
your beds. There is much more danger of you getting 
your plants too thick than too thin. The can full of water 
and teaspoonful of seed is sufficient for one hundred 
square feet, as you will find by experience before trans- 
planting time. 



II 



Management of Plants. 



»a 



The most essential point in raising plants, is after the 
seed has been sown. Do not allow your beds to become 
dry, for if you allow them to become dry just one hour, 
the four first days after sowing your seed is ruined, as the 
sun will dry up the tender plants; and you must also guard 
against making the beds too wet, as nothing can grow in 
mud. Just keep your beds moist until your plants become 
a little stronger — then you must be governed by the 
weather; if it is very dry they will require more water, and 
as they increase in size they will need more water. You 
must keep all manner of weeds from among your plants. 
The weeds should be pulled when quite small, as they will 
crowd out your plants and smother them; and if left get 
too large you will spoil your plants by pulling them out, 
as the roots of the weeds are much larger than the roots 
of the plants. All that is necessary to the management of 
plants, is to keep them clear of weeds and give them the 
necessary amount of water. After your plants have well 
started and the weather becomes warm, remove the cover 
and let them harden and get used to the direct rays of the 
sun. There is more danger in keeping them housed up 
too much than by allowing them to run the chance of 
frost. Another very important point avoid if possible, 
watering with cold spring water; use if you can rain or 
creek water. You, however, may not all be so situated 
as to have either; in that case have a kettle full of boiling 
water ready, with that you can take the chill off a barrel, 
and that will answer the same purpose. I would, how- 
ever, prefer rain water if possible, as it contains certain 
qualities that spring water has not; at any rate it seems to 
do the most good. 

Now the time of day to water-the plants is another point 
to consider. I prefer to water small plants, say until the 
first leaves are as large as a penny; to water in the morn- 
ing between seven and nine o'clock. After the plants 
become larger and the weather warm, I would prefer to 
water in the evening or just before sunset. For this 
reason : while the plant is small and the nights cold and 
you water in the evening, the tender plant suffers from 



12 

the cold, being wet; but as the plants get larger and 
stronger and the nights warmer, by watering in the even- 
ing the plant has more time to be benefited by the moisture 
than if they had been watered at nine o'clock a. m., under 
the~direct rays of the sun. 

How to Prepare the Ground for Transplanting. 

Now this, perhaps, may meet with opposition. What I 
am about to say, and that is, sod ground should be man- 
ured well and ploughed in the fall, then run over it with 
a spike harrow, then a heavy roller, and let it lay until you 
want to prepare it for planting. Now I would advise as a 
general rule to use some active commercial fertilizer in 
connection with the barnyard manure. The best way to 
use commercial fertilizers I will describe before I close. 

If you intend to plant on stock ground or old Tobacco 
land, the early spring is the time to plow. If you wish to 
use phosphate for Tobacco, if you have not become pre- 
judiced against it, plow it down by all means; plow as 
early as possible so that it may not be too wet ; if you 
plow too wet, you cannot get it in proper order. You 
cannot cultivate and pulverize Tobacco land too much on 
the surface — just so that your ground is well settled 
ground T.hat ploughed in the fall should not be 
ploughed in the spring again, as your ground will not get 
settled by planting time, and Tobacco will not grow until 
the roots get down on solid ground, and your land will 
hold the moisture longer in using any kind of a phosphate 
as a top dressing. Strive to have it in the ground at least 
two weeks before planting time. In using phosphate, 
strive to get it down. I would here suggest: with your 
scorer replaced with large shovels instead of the ordinary 
ones, or with the plow, score out your ground ; I would 
say in thin land, three feet and three and-a-half feet; that 
is, one row three feet and the next one three and-a-half 
feet;, but if your land is strong, you should have the rows 
at least four feet and four and a half feet. The reason 
for this is, if your Tobacco gets large it will not crowd you 
out from worming and suckering; but by my method you 
will find you have room in every other one, and it is much 
better to let the sun shine upon the ground as much as 



13 

possible; now score out as described, and as deep as you 
can, so as to get your fertilizer under your plant. After 
you have your fertilizer in the row, ridge it over and let 
it remain until you are ready to plant. The quantity of 
fertilizer to use you will have to be the judge yourself. I 
might suggest, but I know nothing about your land — and 
it is sure as every one knows, poor land requires more 
than rich. One thing is certain, land cannot be too rich, 
yet you can put too much of the fertilizer near your 
Tobacco plant. If your land is thin, you should by all 
means plow down at least eight hundred to a thousand 
pounds to the acre, and then come after with an active top 
dressing. The great trouble with most people using com- 
mercial fertilizers and receiving little or no benefit from 
them is easily explained. The secret is simply this: they 
do not use enough of it; they sprinkle three or four hun- 
dred broadcast to the acre without any manure, and 
expect a good crop; now that is useless. You have 
received little or no benefit by using so small a quantity. 
Just suppose for a moment, you would spend the price of 
four hundred of the most expensive phosphates made. In 
barnyard manure spread it on an acre, and you will see 
little or no benefit either. You may say yes, but when I 
make the manure it costs me nothing. But hold on, what 
would it bring if you offered it for sale, and count the 
amount used at that price, and you will readily perceive 
you could put a ton. to the acre at a less cost. 

The next trouble met with by some people is, they ge; 
it too near the surface, and the good qualities of it escape; 
or else they stick the plant right into it, and consequently 
the plant is destroyed. That is the reason why I advise 
you to score out your ground deep, and put your fertilizer 
down and ridge it over; it will come up, and the roots of 
the plants will find it just when they need it. 

I deem it necessary to inform my patrons in regard to 
what kind of commercial fertilizer to use, as there are 
a large variety in the market and many of them very infe- 
rior. I have used many kinds of Phosphates for Tobacco, 
and given them a fair and impartial trial. I can safely 
say that the High Grade Ammoniated Phosphate, manu- 
factured at Reading, Pa., by D. D. Hess & Son, has given 



*4 

the best results, as it is very active, and that is what the 
Tobacco crop needs. It has been very extensively used 
throughout Lancaster county the present season with the 
most happy results, both on limestone and barren soil. 
Many farmers who have heretofore cried down the use of 
Phosphates, have been induced to try the High Grade, 
made by D. D. Hess & Son, and are to-day the loudest in 
its praise. It has given universal satisfaction, having been 
used by some of our most practical and successful growers, 
and to-day stands high in the estimation of all who have 
given it a trial. Those wishing to use Phosphate can do 
no better than to procure the High Grade, as it is manu- 
factured on purely scientific principles, and not made up 
of two-thirds sand or refuse, that is of no material benefit 
to the soil. The manufacturers of this Phosphate make 
none but a first class article, and which can be fully relied 
on. The firm are of undoubted character; and I am safe 
in saying that you are perfectly safe in relying upon it for 
a good crop of Tobacco on any kind of soil, whether used 
in connection with barnyard manure or alone. I feel as 
safe in recommending this fertilizer to you as I do in giv- 
ing you my mode of farming and handling Tobacco. 

The Time for Planting. 

The preferred time for planting is, say from June ist to 
June 25th. However, some no doubt have raised good 
crops that have planted earlier, and perhaps good crops 
have been grown planted much later, but either is a risk 
and not to be advised. Just for example to those who 
have not had experience in Tobacco culture, I will take 
the corn crop to prove my theory. Have you not often 
been disappointed by planting corn too early; when the 
ground was cold and the cold rains came, and your corn 
did not come up as you thought it should, or turned yel- 
low after it was up, and appeared stunted in its growth. 
On the other hand, have you not seen the same crop that 
had been planted too late and was killed in a green state 
by early frosts. Bring this to your mind and you have 
the Tobacco crop under the same circumstances; and it 
is not at all necessary by sowing your seed by my direc- 
tions and preparing your ground in time you are ready to 



15 

plant by the first mentioned date and if you commence 
at that time and finish by my last mentioned date, you 
can rest assured from danger of cold rains in the early 
part, and frost will not hurt your latest. It is not advisable 
for any one farming three or four acres of Tobacco to 
plant it all early, nor all late, according to my dates; 
twenty five days make quite a difference on the Tobacco 
crop. If you plant all early, you may get in a drought in 
the early part of the season; and by planting all late you 
may meet with the same results, but by having part of 
your crop early and part later you are not likely to have 
a total crop failure. You have also more time to handle 
it at harvest time, or at least are not hurried so much. No 
part of this work should be done in too great haste. 

How to Plant Tobacco. 

Now, kind reader, you have your Tobacco land well 
manured, well cultivated and prepared for planting; and 
if you have taken my advice with your plants, you have 
at the first of June — and that is time enough — plenty of 
good, healthy and vigorous plants ready for transplanting. 
Now how to set out the plants properly is the next ques- 
tion in the mind of the inexperienced grower. This I 
propose to tell you here. It is a mistaken idea that you 
must wait until it rains before you can plant your Tobacco; 
in fact quite the reverse is the case. If it rains heavy you 
should by all means wait a day or two after before you 
plant, as in the mud is no place to plant Tobacco. I would 
not allow any one to plant for me immediately after a 
rain, if they were to do it for nothing and find the plants; 
in fact, in dry ground is the place to plant Tobacco. 
Planting in wet ground has blasted the hopes of many of 
our old experienced growers the present season, and 
to-day they cannot tell you what is the reason their To- 
bacco does no good. They say, my land is certainly good, 
for I have put on so many loads of manure, and so much 
phosphate in the rows, and that piece of land was good 
before. I had good large plants, and I have hoed it two 
or three times, and I have went over it three times with 
the harrow, and yet it does no good. They tell you all 
this, but they have forgotten one thing yet. They have 



i6 

neglected to tell you they set it out in the mud. That is 
the great cause of so much unevenness in Tobacco patches. 
After a heavy rain the farmer will start out with his plants 
and set perhaps two or three thousand plants; but he only 
gets perhaps one-third of his patch set to-day, and the 
balance he does not get planted before the second or 
third day after, and the mud has then dried up and the 
ground is in good order for planting and he sets out the 
balance of his patch, and it grows right off, and yet he 
will ascribe it to every cause but the right one. Now 
when the time of year is at hand to plant, and you have 
plants ready, do not wait for rain, but go to work and 
plant. Now I propose this: Take your marker, which is 
made in this manner; take two tobacco lathes, or pieces two 
and a half feet long, place them in the position of a half 
open compass, nail them together at the upper end and 
nail a cross-piece half way down, so as to keep them sta- 
tionary; care must be taken to have them the right dis- 
tance apart. If your land is thin or- ordinary land, 
twenty-four inches apart would be right, but if your land 
is very strong, you had better have it twenty-eight inches 
at the points; now start at the end of your row and walk 
it right along on top of the row by whirling it around 
in your hand; right behind the spacer come after with a 
hoe, and hoe out a spot almost on a level with the sur- 
rounding surface, then with a stamper made by taking a 
block or piece of plank about five inches wide by nine 
inches long, with a hole bored in the center, and a handle 
put in about four feet in length; come after, stamp level 
and solid a place for your plant where it was hoed out. 
But do not under any circumstances set your plants in the 
mud, that is when the ground is wet enough to stick to 
your fingers. If you plant in wet ground you cannot 
help but plant too tight; the ground is pressed around the 
plants, and when it dries off you have formed a clod 
around the roots of your plant, so that they cannot possi- 
bly work through, and the consequence is, your plant 
stands still just as you set it in, and in fact dies outright 
from that cause. The plant is very tender and the roots 
small , and you have stuck them fast in the clod so they 
cannot possibly grow. You might as well expect your 



i7 

Tobacco plant to grow through a brick as the clod you 
have formed around it. 

If you plant after a rain, and in a day or two it rains 
another shower, so as it forms no clod, your Tobaceo is 
all right, and it will grow; but when we plant in the mud 
we do not know whether nature will help us out or not, 
so we must guard against it; and the only way we have 
to do is, to plant in the dry ground; and you cannot 
plant too tight nor form no clod, all the danger is set 
aside, and you can earn ten dollars a day hauling water to 
plant Tobacco with. 

You perhaps may not agree with me here, but I think 
I can prove this with figures to your satisfaction. Now if 
you set your plants in the mud or wet ground, and we 
get a dry spell of weather, your Tobacco cannot and will 
not grow, and you would be well off if you went over 
and hoed it all out and replanted it; if you work away 
at it sticking in the clod, your plants are lost, your labor 
is lost, and instead of getting a crop of from sixteen to 
two 'thousand pounds from the acre of a good quality, 
worth say twenty and five, you get a crop of from eight 
hundred to one thousand pounds from the acre of an in- 
ferior article, worth perhaps twelve and three, and it is all 
you can get, and you will perceive you have a difference 
of at least one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and I am 
sure it would not take you seventeen and a half days to 
haul water enough to plant one acre of Tobacco, and 
certainly you cannot make better wages this side of being 
a United States Senator. I have proven my assertion by 
figures, and they cannot lie; you can have that fact verified 
this season in hundreds of instances throughout this county. 
Now I do not wish to be understood that you dare not 
plant in damp ground ; if you can do so, and if it rains, 
it is all right; and if it don't rain you are none the worse 
by planting in damp ground; you can sometimes save 
watering, but we cannot at all times get the ground in that 
condition; then do not wait, but plant in dry ground, and 
water; and if the sun is hot you must cover your plants. 
Now this is my method of planting, watering and cover- 
ing. First, when you go to your plant bed to pull your 
plants, set apart one end of your plant bed about four 



i8 

feet square, and do not disturb any of the plants on it, 
but from the rest of the bed or beds pull your plants, all 
of a uniform size, or as near as possible. Commence in 
the middle of your patch to plant if you possibly can, as 
those first planted will likely be ready first to cut, and 
you have a road through the middle of your patch. For 
convenience, now proceed with a gardener's trowel, or one 
made from hard wood similar in shape, sink it down to 
the required depth in the spot prepared on the row, press 
your trowel to one side, take your plant with the other 
hand, let the roots drop down straight in their natural 
position, then draw out your trowel, and if the ground is 
dry the hole will fall shut or nearly so. You can bring 
some dirt up if necessary and thus proceed on with your 
planting, and you will find it is just as easy to plant in 
dry ground as in wet. Now it is necessary for you to 
water the plant after setting, as soon as you can, and 
that will set your plants. If the weather is clear and 
warm it will be necessary for you to cover your plants 
or the sun will kill them before they can take root. ' This 
I propose to do in this manner : cover with paper; cut 
your paper into pieces about five inches wide by nine 
inches long, place the one end on the ground and place 
a little dirt upon it; bow it up in the middle so as to 
form an arch with the other end on the ground with 
dirt upon it, so as to keep it in that position and pre- 
vent it from blowing off. Care must be taken in making 
this arch so as to have the ends that are on the ground 
north and south. 

•No doubt some one of my readers may say, why not 
set it east and west. Simply to prevent the noonday sun 
from striking the plant too much; in placing the cover in 
arch-shape we allow the plant plenty of light and air, so 
essential to plant life. Do not, under any circumstances, 
when planting, plant a large plant or two or three of them 
and then a small one; but plant plants of a uniform size. 
Vnur patch has then all the same chance; but you may say 
suppose some of the plants do not grow that we have 
set. Well, 1 have taken care of that — on the second or 
third day after, go over your patch to see if there is any 
missing from some cause. Now go back to your plant 



bed and you find a bed four feet square of plants larger 
than those transplanted, as they have been growing the 
two or three last days, while those set out have not com- 
menced. Now you have large plants to plant after; do 
this as carefully as you did the rest and in the same man- 
ner, and at the end of a week you cannot tell where' the 
re-plants are — they are alike. That is the great secret of 
keeping a patch even; by doing this carefully you will 
have a patch of uniform size, or nearly so, and it will stay 
so; but if you set large plants, in and alongside, you set 
a small sickly one all over your patch, and rob your plant 
bed, so your re-plants must be small plants, not fully re- 
covered of being disturbed by pulling out the rest, what 
can you expect ? The large healthy plant has always the 
advantage of the smaller one. There are, however, many 
causes for a Tobacco patch getting uneven without you 
starting it so. After you have done your best you will 
find some small stalks, which cannot be avoided in large 
patches; but by planting in dry ground and watering with 
a pint of water to each stalk and covering, and thereby 
avoiding the dangers I have described, you cannot help 
growing a good crop and a paying crop of Tobacco. 

I have often heard it said, what makes that difference 
in your patch of Tobacco? and have heard many reasons 
given, but seldom the right one. The author of this work 
once planted five rows of Tobacco to prove this theory to 
his neighbors; five rows were planted in the morning after 
a heavy rain, the day proved a fine one, with sun shining 
all day, and in the evening he planted three more rows 
alongside of the five rows planted in the morning, and 
he had every one that saw it wondering what made the 
great difference. He. harvested double the quantity off 
the last three rows as off the first five. Was not that plain 
proof ? Yet that was not all the gain he had in the num- 
ber of pounds; but the difference in price was as fourteen 
is to twenty, which is easily counted. By this time I hope 
you have your plants properly set and in a growing con- 
dition. Next comes the 

Cultivating the Tobacco. 

This must not be neglected, for I am safe in saying you 



20 

cannot do too much at it. As soon as possible after you 
have your plants all set, I would advise you to get in with 
the harrow; for during the planting, watering and cover- 
ing you get the middles pretty well tramped, and it is very 
necessary you should loosen it up. You cannot cultivate 
too soon after planting, either with the harrow or the hoe. 
Your patch should be harrowed after every rain or at least 
every ten days. Do this as long as you can pass through 
it without breaking the leaves. In regard to hoeing there 
are different opinions. Some hoe the dirt away from the 
stock, while others hoe to it. Now I have advised you to 
plant almost on a level with the surface between the rows; 
and by cultivating and hoeing I propose to have the patch 
level or nearly so. By hoeing the ridges down you readily 
destroy the weeds and grass, and leaves your patch in 
good condition; but the second and third hoeing, by all 
means hoe fresh dirt to the stock, thereby you keep the 
roots covered deeper, and they do not dry out so soon; 
however, do not hill up high so as to draw the water off, 
merely loosen the soil around the stalks, so as to readily 
receive the rain as it falls. Do not when harrowing merely 
skim over the surface, but harrow it deep; tear up the 
ground so it is loose for the feeders to get through ; after 
that phosphate. I advised you to put in the ground and 
not on it. Harrow deep and often, hoe well and you will 
not only be pleased of the result but be paid well for 
your labor. 

The Tobacco Worm. 

Long perhaps before you are done cultivating the 
Tobacco you will discover the crop has an enemy, and a 
bad one too in the green Tobacco worm, which destroys 
the crop very much if not headed off. For the benefit of 
the inexperienced Tobacco grower, let me make it plain 
where this worm comes from, as it is evident it must in 
some stage of its existence have a different and a faster 
mode of traveling than it has when you find it destroying 
your Tobacco. That is so; the green worm you find was 
made by the Sphinx laying its eggs on the Tobacco, and 
there it hatches. When the worm has come to maturity 
it leaves the Tobacco and buries itself in the earth. In a 



21 

certain time it is transformed into a worm of a dark brown 
color, not at all resembling the green worm. From that it 
changes and becomes a flying insect, resembling the hum- 
ming bird. After it has laid its batch of eggs it dies, 
and so you see we can always look for two showers of 
worms in a season. They are a great enemy to the 
Tobacco farmer as they will entirely destroy the crop if 
left alone, and they increase so fast it requires considerable 
labor to hunt and destroy them. Various ways have been 
devised to prevent them. Some growers plant the James- 
town or Jimson weed in close proximity to the patch; 
then by poisoning the flower, kill the Sphinx or moth. 
Others employ lighted torches over a pan of tar, which 
proves a certain trap. Some try one plan and some another. 
My advice is, try any plan, try them all, then resort to 
hand picking, the surest of them all, rather than have 
your crop eaten to shreds and the labor of more than half 
the year brought to naught in a few day by a single glut 
of worms. 

The Process of Topping. 

Topping the Tobacco is an operation requiring con- 
siderable skill and judgment, and not easily described; 
but by all means allow me to say to you, do this part of 
the work yourself instead of trusting it to others. That 
as many plants as possible may ripen at the same time, a 
desire not to be undervalued, in aiming as all should at 
a uniform crop. Wait until a large number of plants 
begin to button or show the seed before commencing to 
top. Going about through the patch topping a plant here 
and there, because it has shown the seed-bud before its 
fellows, is productive of more injury than good. No in- 
flexible rule can be given for the number of leaves that 
should be left on a stalk, all depends upon the variety of 
Tobacco, the strength of the soil, the promise of the 
particular plant, the probable season, and the time it has 
for ripening. My advice is, to always top low; rather 
have two leaves too little than two too many to a stalk. 
I would suggest from eight to twelve good leaves; but in 
no case exceed that number. Twelve good leaves and 
three for ground leaves is quite enough for any plant on 



22 

any soil. It is much better to have large leaves than long 
stalks, as we care nothing about the stalk. There is no 
money made growing great long stalks and short leaves, 
but vice versa. 

Suckering the Tobacco. 

This will next attract the attention of the grower, and 
must be promptly attended to; that with worming will 
constitute a single operation. You need not, however, 
give yourself any trouble until the first three suckers ap 
pear the length of your finger, then they should be broken 
off. They will appear first at the top or where the bud 
stem was broken off. They will next appear at the next 
leaves, and so on down until they get to the lower leaves, 
which determines the time to cut the stalk, for when the 
suckers are from four to six inches long at the ground, 
you can safely cut your crop. You can also see quite a 
change in the color and feel a difference in the body; you 
will find the leaves will thicken up and become brittle, 
and you will also find by following carefully the in- 
structions so far given, very little trouble in determin- 
ing when you can with safety cut yonr crop. Care must, 
however, be taken not to cut too green, as by having one 
stalk very ripe and another only partly ripe, your Tobacco 
will not cure of a uniform color, which is very essential. 
After you have taken all the pains you can with the crop, 
in setting plants of a uniform size, replanting with good 
plants, careful cultivation, you will no doubt find some of 
your Tobacco will take the lead in growth, consequently 
will mature some days in advance of others, so you will 
have to be careful when you come to cutting, so that your 
stalks are all ripe, otherwise you will have . some trouble 
when your Tobacco cures. We now come to consider 
the last operation in the field. Cutting the crop in this 
as in topping, a man of judgment and fidelity is needed. 
You should by all means be there yourself. An inex- 
perienced hand, or one without judgment, and particularly 
one who is indifferent to the interests of his employer, will 
slash away right and left, not knowing and not caring 
whether the Tobacco he cut be ripe or green, doing more 
damage in a short time than his whole year's wages would 



23 

compensate for. Therefore be on hand yourself and do not 
delegate the duty to any less interested party, so that a 
crop managed well— it may be so far from the initial plant 
bed— shall not be spoiled in the closing work by an in- 
competent or unfaithful cutter. Be there, too, to see in 
this important hour that injury from sunburn be warded 
off the" stalks that have been cut. The neglect of this 
precaution has played havoc with many a good crop 
when it was ready for sale. The vigilance of the grower 
is constantly needed to guard against losses or misman- 
agement. As the Tobacco crop is something that counts 
fast on one side or other of the ledger, you cannot afford 
to raise a poor crop of inferior Tobacco, nor neglect the 
proper handling of a good one; they will both count poor 
and on the wrong side. 

How to Cut the Tobacco. 

I have endeavored, kind reader, to guide you on from 
step to step in the management of the crop, when it is to 
be hoped you will have a magnificent crop of Tobacco fit 
for cutting. Now you have a very particular work to per- 
form; your money is all made when your crop is done 
growing, but you have not got it yet, and the amount you 
may get greatly depends upon how you handle it. You 
should never allow this to be done by careless hands. I 
would suggest to have two trussels at least sixteen feet 
long — twenty would be better— made of scantling, or even 
an inch board six or eight inches wide with legs nailed on 
about five and-a-half feet high to set in the field, to be 
moved around as you wish. Next you want a spudding 
buck, which is made in this manner: Take a piece of 
scantling three by four, or just the size you may have it, 
about six feet long at the one end or about ten inches 
from the end; we propose to fasten two legs, so as when 
the other end rests on the ground the end on legs will be 
three and a-half feet from the ground; now with a chisel 
cut a notch to fit your lath about four inches deep, nail a 
piece of board over it to form a mortice that a lath will 
go in, not too tight; now you are ready for the field, ex- 
cept some instrument to cut with. I would recommend 
a common hatchet or small saw made for that purpose; 



24 

you also need a wagon fixed for the purpose of hauling 
your Tobacco to the shed, which I will describe on an- 
other page of this book. Now in cutting you take hold 
of the stalk about the middle, incline it slightly to one 
side and cut it not down but off, and take off all suckers 
and dry leaves that may be on the stalks, then lay it down 
carefully so as not to break any of the leaves. Proceed 
thus to cut off your entire crop, not, however, at one 
time; if it should be all ripe, you must guard against it 
getting sunburnt; when the weather is very warm in the 
early part of the season, I would advise not to cut any 
Tobacco before 4 o'clock p. m., as by that time the heat of 
the sun is not so great; however, in ordinary weather, or 
with the thermometer at seventy, you need not fear, but 
for the sake of convenience say cut two hundred stalks, 
then commence to string up your Tobacco; have, if pos- 
sible, some one to help you, take hold of a stalk at the 
butt, one in each hand, pass it to the spudder who will 
string it up and place it upon the wagon or the long trus- 
sels I spoke about, placed near at hand, but in no case 
lay it down; proceed in the same way until your wagon is 
loaded; if you have help enough send that load to the 
shed or barn and cut down another lot; if your help is 
light hang your loose scaffold full, rather than allow it to 
lay on the ground while you take one load to the barn. 
There is, however, one very important point right here 
for you to bear in mind : Never cut Tobacco right after a 
rain, but let it stand at least six hours in the sun so as to 
again draw its gum, as when it is cut wet and the Tobacco 
cured, it has no more life than a dry chestnut leaf, and 
is poor stuff. This the grower must bear in mind, as by 
neglecting this warning you may ruin part of your crop. 
Another very dangerous plan is practised by many of our 
bustling farmers and that is this : They will string up two 
or three loads of Tobacco more in the evening than they 
can get to the shed, and they leave it hang on the scaffold 
in the field until next morning; there may be a very heavy 
dew and the farmer will say to the help, "it is too wet to 
sucker and worm, go hitch up and we will go out and 
bring that Tobacco in that is hanging on the scaffolds;" 
and in it comes, all wet, and is hung in the shed; and, if 



25 

the leaves have not all fell off before, you will take it out 
at stripping time rotten, and it is a total loss. It has often 
been the case with farmers that have grown the crop for 
years, but the careful farmer that has been gaining know- 
ledge at the losses of his neighbor endeavors to steer clear 
of all these troubles, for it is the minor points in the cul- 
ture of Tobacco that makes one grower more of a success 
than another. And to those who would become success- 
ful Tobacco growers, let me add it should have the personal 
superintendence of the owner. 

How to Hang the Crop in the Shed. 

The next question in the mind of the inexperienced 
grower is, "how shall I hang my Tobacco so as not to 
damage?" for upon this depends the prices. It is well 
known that damaged goods will not sell, and the crop 
may have been brought along successfully even to this 
point and lack one thing yet, if it be not now properly 
manipulated. Go into the shed yourself and see to it. 
You will readily see I have advised you to haul it right 
from the field in a green state, without having it wilted 
together and without having it laid down on piles so as 
paste together. By hanging it into the shed or barn 
green from the field you cannot hang it too close together 
without breaking some of the ribs; and if hung up in the 
shed green and it wilts there, you need not fear it will 
be too close, but your stalks will hang there loose, not 
all pasted together like two cakes of wax, the air almost 
excluded from it except the outside leaves, and when it is 
cured it will resemble a bunch of feathers. It is a mis- 
taken idea that Tobacco is burnt in the shed by being hung 
too close; not at all. I will endeavor to prove to the 
most skeptical, beyond a doubt, that it is not burnt at all; 
for nothing can burn without being hot, and if you take 
pains enough to examine your tobacco at that time, or 
when it is spoiling, you will find it cool. I am not 
prepared to say whether those who say their tobacco is 
or was pole burnt, or mow burnt, really thinks it is burnt 
or whether they only make use of the word for the sake 
of convenience. But I am sure it is used out of place. 
I cannot, perhaps, name it properly myself, but I would 



26 

say it is smothered, or in other words, it. rots for want 
of air of the right temperature. I will endeavor to give 
you the cause of tobacco rotting in the shed by asking 
you the following question : "Have you ever noticed a 
pitcher of cold water brought into a warm room? did 
not you notice the pitcher sweating, as it were, on the 
outside?" If you have not, just try it to convince your- 
self of the truth of what I may say. It will form drops 
of water on the outside. To more fully convince your- 
self, place another pitcher alongside full of warm water, 
of at least the same temperature as the room, and see for 
yourself that the one with the warm water will not sweat. 
The temperature surrounding the pitcher containing the 
cold water is much warmer than the water itself. Thus 
the heated air in t the room coming in contact with the 
colder surface of the pitcher, condenses, thus forming the 
drops seen on the outside of the pitcher. It is just so 
with your tobacco in the shed. In time of warm mucky 
weather, the air on the outside is much warmer than that 
en the inside, and thus causes it to sweat, and there is not 
enough heat in the shed to cause evaporation fast enough 
to carry it off, and the result is your shed is filled with 
heavy damp air, that has been chilled by entering the 
shed and it condenses on the tobacco; and had you ex- 
amined your crop at such a time you would have found it 
in the same condition as the pitcher of cold water in the 
warm room — not only wet on the outside, but so com- 
pletely saturatedas to cause the rib of the leaves to bloat, 
or resemble a blister, and if it remains so for a few days 
it cannot help but rot. To those who may read these 
pages I would say: Do not condemn to hastily, but con- 
sider well; go and examine carefully for yourself, and if 
you do not find the crop in the same condition, it is not 
spoiling and it will be time enough to condemn my 
theory; for it is an established fact that which meets with 
no opposition is not worthy a sober thought. But you 
will doubtless say if that is the case our tobacco would all 
spoil and there is no remedy. Yes, I hold there is a 
remedy if taken in time in the 



27 

Proper Ventilation of your Building. 

To the person who contemplates growing Tobacco, the 
first thought that should present itself to his mind is, 
how or where will I cure my Tobacco, if I have it grown. 
You cannot give this point too much thought. If you 
wish to become a successful tobacco grower, you must be 
able to master difficulties as you meet them, and I can 
assure you that they will come. It is an old saying, that 
if all waters would run smooth there would be many more 
people drowned; and if the tobacco farmer would meet 
with no trouble on the way, it would be scarcely worth the 
raising. It requires a great deal of care and labor to 
grow and cure properly a crop of tobacco, and it is 
necessary to have a good place to cure it in. 

Now my idea is this, that as two and two make four, 
so it is that pure and heated air rises from the surface 
and foul or damp air falls. Now for you to crowd large 
tobacco into a barn that has little or no ventilation at 
the roof, where do you suppose this air will get out when 
it does rise to the top, or what will be the consequence. 
I will tell you, it will fill your building full of fowl air, 
will smother and rot your tobacco. Now I will give you 
my opinion about a shed, backed up by experience and 
observation for many years. The closer you have a shed 
for curing the crop the better, and the day is not far 
distant when the grower will have his shed plastered or 
papered to cure it in and it will pay. I say this openly, 
without fear of being successfully contradicted. With an 
open shed you cannot keep damp air out nor heated air in. 
Now for an example s : suppose you have a shed full of 
good tobacco, just on the turn to cure, or when some of 
the leaves are changing color, for that is the worst time, 
and we get three or four days or a week of wet, damp, 
mucky weather, and it gets among your tobacco, would 
you rather not have it out ? I would, and I know you 
would, and would it not be good to have a place for the 
heated air to escape as it rises. I know you will agree 
with me again, but had you a reason for it before? My 
plan of ventilation is this, have an open cupola or one that 
can be opened at will extending the entire length of 



28 ' 

your shed up at the comb of the roof, so all air arising 
finds ready 'access to escape; down at the bottom of your 
shed have doors to open and shut and you are fixed. 
You can create a draft through your building just when 
you wish for that ventilation — works on the same princi- 
ple as a chimney — if you should put up a chimney and 
place a stove pipe into it near the bottom and it will 
draw. Now go and make in your chimney a lot of holes 
between your pipe and the top and it will not draw. 
This shows the advantage over side ventilation, and for 
that reason I would recommend ventilation at the top 
and bottom only. The next question in the minds of 
the inexperienced farmer is, 

When is the Crop Ready to Strip. 

This is very important, for you cannot be too careful, 
for as you strip it so it will remain. To those who have 
not a cellar for dampening it is often a difficult matter. 
If you depend upon wet weather you should not onl 
examine the leaves but the stem of the leaves; take si 
or eight leaves together, tie them up properly, then tat 
the butts between the thumb and finger, and if the gr 
or hand hangs straight down, your crop is in good coi, 
dition; but if the ribs break by tieing, or when taken 
stated, and the grip stands almost straight out you should 
not strip for you will ruin your Tobacco, as it will get 
rough and bony, and all the care you might bestow upon 
it will not remedy the evil, and the price of your Tobacco 
is lessened at least one-third, not alone in price but the 
quality, will be spoiled and great loss in weight. 
But if you have a cellar for the purpose this trouble is 
easily remedied; you have only to place it in the cellar 
and it will dampen just to suit. You can from a perfectly 
dry state make it too damp, and it requires you to watch 
it. Next comes the stripping. 

One Way to Strip Tobacco. 

This is very necessary to understand, for the way tins 
is done greatly depends the price it will command. 
Fifteen years ago in Lancaster county among the most 
experienced growers when this branch of the business was 



29 

to be performed, the grower would get all the boys and 
girls he could when a rainy day came, and this is the 
way the work was done. There was only two grades of 
Tobacco made, wrappers and fillers, and there was per- 
haps three or four of the ground leaves taken off and 
the balance was wrappers. The boys and girls received 
so much per pound, and then the race began to see who 
would receive the most money in the evening, or who 
could strip the most tobacco in a day. Regardless of 
quality it was tied up, whether long or short, dark or 
light, torn or whole, and in fact it mattered not what was 
the fault it might have had, it was wrappers at any rate, 
I and the packer bought it at your disadvantage and to 
I his own benefit. The author has seen good crops of 
..Tobacco bought in Lancaster county at from six to nine 
''cents per pound. The grower of to-day would not con- 
sider himself very well paid for growing a crop at 
^hat price now, and in fact would not for the reason that 
e puts much more labor upon it now than he did at 
'/iat day. Some of our rough, careless farmers, who 
/fave never been paid for growing Tobacco, because they 
r : led to bestow labor enough upon it to have a market- 
Je article, growed poorly and handled poorer. That 
•ss of growers will likely say, yes but will it pay to 
toSLe all the pains and bestow all the labor upon the 
crops that some do. That question can best be answered 
by looking around and notice what class of men get the 
most money for their crops, and you will, I venture to 
say, find that those who bestow the most labor upon 
their crop, are the ones that have got the most money to 
put in the bank after their crop is sold. You may ask, 
but why did the packer sometimes pay a good price for 
some crops of tobacco in former times if it was poorly 
handled. I will tell you. During the time of our civil 
war in this country, the noted tobacco fields of Virginia 
and Kentucky were devastated by the marching armies, 
the emancipation of the slaves, (the bone and sinew of 
the Southern tobacco fields), was set at liberty with these 
disadvantages to overcome, in order to get back to the 
general routine of farming, was not only a matter of time, 
but a trouble that has not yet been fully overcome dur- 



30 

ing this time, or prior to it. Lancaster county had ob- 
tained a smattering knowledge of tobacco farming, and 
the demand was on the increase while the production 
was on the. decrease, thus it was that a new agricultural 
industry sprang up in our midst unthought of. The soil 
seemed to be well adapted to the growth of the weed, 
and to-day Lancaster county has acquired a reputation 
second to none, for its quality of tobacco. 

So, kind reader, you can see that to supply the increas- 
ing demand, not only of home consumption but of a 
forgeign demand, devolved upon a comparative new field, 
and a people of little or no experience, could not be ex- 
pected to cope with those localities where it had been 
grown and handled for years, and in fact can boast of 
its birth-place, and with those people who nursed it in 
its infancy and was able to hand their knowledge down 
to their children and their children's children. That is 
the great reason the packer paid some years ago a good 
price for poorly handled tobacco; the demand was here 
and the field was small, and he had little or no choice, 
neither had the manufacturer, thus it was, and he was 
compelled to buy it as it was; but let me inform you that 
these matters have changed, for the same reason that Lan- 
caster county commenced to grow Tobacco. Not only 
other counties in this State, but many other States have 
commenced to grow the crop. The fields of twenty years 
ago have increased at least twenty fold, and I dare say 
fifty fold, for that reason the packer or the speculator in 
tobacco has a much larger field of labor and can afford 
to be much more choicey. We have drifted into this 
change by the march of improvements and the ambition of 
men, and we must be governed accordingly. We have not 
done it ourselves, as many say we have spoiled the packer 
— that is not so — he can be more particular about the 
quality of his tobacco, and I do not see any grounds to 
blame him. That is the reason that it is necessary for 
us to grow a good quality of tobacco and handle it with 
care. In order to give a better idea to the tobacco farmer 
who wishes to become successful; in other words to be 
well paid for his labor. I care not whether he has been 
growing it for twenty years ; I would say it will not pay 



31 

any one to farm poor tobacco. The whole world wants 
good tobacco and is willing to pay for it; while no one 
wants poor tobacco at any price, then it is far belter to have 
one acre of good tobacco well handled, than three acres 
only half grown and poorly handled; perhaps you will say 
I do not know how to handle it well. I now propose to tell 
you, but in order to more fully impress it upon the minds 
of my readers, allow me to say, I wish to be plain and prac- 
tical, that in Lancaster county, with the experience of 
thirty years, you will yet find some that will say, it won't 
pay to spend thirty days to strip fifteen or eighteen 
hundred pounds of tobacco. Allow me to give you 
the figures for it and count for yourself, and see 
if it will pay two neighbors side by side who 
are growing tobacco. They have both good ground 
and succeed in growing good tobacco, in fact so near 
alike that you can not discern any difference; and if you 
ask the opinion of good judges, they will say there is not 
one dollar difference. Now we will go to the cellar with 
those two men to see them strip and pack down tobacco 
for the inspection of the buyers. They both know equally 
well what is necessary to be done before it is safe to 
sell the crop by sample. They will both go at the work 
in good earnest, but soon the one will say, ''this takes too 
long to suit me, I must get done to get to quarrying stone 
or something else that pays one dollar per day," and he 
hurries over it, and only does it about half and gets done 
in fifteen or eighteen days; but the other one sticks to it 
and goes along carefully, sorting it out and putting it up 
in good order, and he gets through in thirty days. Now 
it is ready for sale and the buyer comes. The one who 
stripped in fifteen days takes the buyer to see his tobacco 
and the buyer finds it pretty rough, piled up on two piles, 
and says — "wrappers and fillers, where is your seconds?" 
The farmer says I have none. The buyer thinks naturally 
they are among the wrappers, and there finds them.^ He 
pulls out of the rank six hands, and five out of the six are 
short— at least the shortest he has got and considerable of 
third grade tobacco. His questions are — "how much 
tobacco like this have you in this pile?" You may be 
strictly honest and say you really don't know, but don't 



32 

think over two hundred pounds. And it may be true, but 
can you blame the buyer for disbelieving you when he 
pulled out five sixths of short out of the same rank; and the 
consequence is he buys your tobacco far below your ex- 
pectation. Allow me to say at three and fourteen cents 
per pound, and you have eighteen hundred pounds of 
tobacco, not well handled, makes always one-third fillers. 
Now we will count: one-third of eighteen hundred is six 
hundred at three cents per pound or eighteen dollars, and 
the balance twelve hundred at fourteen cents per pound, 
or one hundred and sixty-eight dollars. The two together 
makes one hundred and eighty-six dollars. Now for the 
other side : The one who took thirty days to strip the 
same amount. The buyer comes to him to see his tobacco; 
he can with pride take him to the cellar, and says here is 
my tobacco— here pointing to the different ranks; here is 
so many pounds, thrible A, here so many double A, here 
so many pounds A, here so many pounds B, and here is 
my fillers. He will say I had not many seconds, and what 
I had I used up for tieing; but examine for yourself. He 
finds it so. The grower when asked, I want twenty-five and 
five for that crop. Pretty steep, he will say — but I will give 
you twenty-four and four for it — and he gets it. Now let 
us count well-growed and careful handled tobacco, does 
not make over one-fourth fillers. One-fourth of eighteen 
hundred is four hundred and fifty pounds, at four cents 
per pound makes eighteen dollars, and the balance, thir- 
teen hundred and fifty pounds at twenty-four cents per 
pound makes three hundred and twenty-four dollars. The 
two together makes three hundred and forty-two dollars. 
Now the difference between one hundred and eighty- 
six dollars, and three hundred and forty-two dollars is 
one hundred and fifty-six dollars, made in fifteen days or 
over ten dollars per day against one dollar made in the 
stone quarry. Is not this satisfactory ? I think you can 
see at a glance what I am about to say is the same thing. 

The Proper Way to Strip Tobacco. 

When your tobacco is damp enough, but not before, 
take it down, strip it off the lath, a small quantity at a 
time; after that is done take off the ground leaves, say 



33 

three or four, as necessary, lay down your stalk, take 
another and another, and so on; tie up your ground 
leaves as you go into hands of say ten or twelve leaves. 
After you have gone over it in this manner, take up 
the stalk again, look over and examine very carefully, 
and take out any torn or worm-eaten leaves, all you can 
find, and be sure you find them all. Look out for burnt 
leaves or leaves that has not cured well, or any thing 
that would not make good clean wrappers; those would 
be classed seconds, and are generally used for tieing up 
the entire crop, as they will answer the purpose just as 
well as a better grade. These should not be tied up, at 
least not all, but laid aside for tieing. Now you have 
disposed of the two first grades or fillers and seconds. 
Now what remains on the stalk is 'wrappers, although 
not of the same grade. Now strip those off but do not 
tie up, but lay them on the table made for that purpose 
in grips as you take them off; do not, however, mix 
them up unnecessary, but make layers alternate, first one 
way and then the other, so as you can take them up 
again. This is a part of the work you can safely do by 
candle-light if you wish, this part and stripping off the 
lath can be safely done at night; but do not attempt to 
sort out the inferior leaves or lengths, and tie up without 
daylight and plenty of it, as tobacco cleaned and sorted 
by candle-light will not stand inspection by daylight; and 
it is very necessary you should have it well done, as a few 
leaves here and there through your crop may spoil the sale 
of it, much more than you may think; whenever you have 
doubts about a leaf put it in a lower grade. Thus any 
error may be on the safe side, when you have stripped 
off as many wrappers as you have room to stack on your 
table. Now go to lengthening off and tieing up into 
hands or grips; do not tie more than from six to eight 
leaves to a hand; not less than six nor more than eight 
leaves; have on your table vacant spaces enough to lay 
at least six different grips; take up your tobacco as you 
laid it down, place the butts even in your hand, then see 
how they correspond in length; do not tie leaves together 
in one hand, that there is more than an inch difference, 
and not that if you can avoid it by having spaces on your 



34 

table; and you have a leaf longer than the rest lay it down, 
and when you get another of that length place it with it, 
and so on with each length. Make the butts even in your 
hand; select a leaf from your pile of seconds, about one 
foot in length to tie with. Commence with the butt of 
the leaf; wrap tightly about two inches, drop the end 
through the grip to fasten, roll it in your hand and the 
job is done; you must be very careful about the color; do 
not on any account put leaves in the same hand of a dif- 
ferent color — as some is darker than others. As you tie 
up hands of different length keep them apart, make a pile 
in some convenient place, close to you, so as to drop each 
length separate. Now I cannot too strongly impress upon 
your mind this very important matter, for that reason I 
have endeavored to give you both sides of this question 
for you to consider, and I hope you will profit by it, for 
upon this greatly depends your success. 

How to Stack it up in the* Cellar. 

This is very important, as you can put it up so as to 
bring you fifty dollars more or fifty less to every ton of 
tobacco. You must now prepare a place for to stack your 
crop. I will endeavor to give you a plan for that purpose; 
however you must be governed by the amount of tobacco 
you have got — the more, the more room you need. If you 
have three or four acres, I would suggest seven blocks, at 
least six inches thick; eight would be better, as that would 
keep it further from the earth, say forty inches long, place 
them in your cellar in such position as to be able to walk all 
around it; upon these blocks place a tight floor of boards 
at the one end, at least eighteen inches from the wall, set 
upright, two boards, fasten them above and below, so as 
to keep them to their places; six feet from them set up 
the same way two more, six feet from them; two more, 
and so on until you have six spaces of stalls. Now I pro- 
pose to stack down on this platform the tobacco just as it 
is to go into the case. Thus tobacco 28 inches and up- 
ward in length, in the first stall, from 26 to 28 inches; in 
the second from 22 to 26 inches; in the third place, and 
from 22 to 18 inches in the fourth stall; all under 
18 in the fifths; the sixth for the seconds, and the 



35 

last for the fillers. Now as you strip, pack down, as 
described; however, there is in this case as well all 
other matters pertaining to tobacco, a right way and 
a wrong way. Now I propose to direct you in the right 
way, thus: Place it upon the platform with the butts in 
opposite directions, but care must be taken not to get it 
too wide. You must be governed by the length of your 
tobacco; the longer your tobacco the wider the rick must 
be; you must let the points of the leaves lap over con- 
siderable, so as to keep it high in the middle; if you 
allow it to become low in the middle your rick may fall 
apart at any time; and if it stands for some time, as it 
often does, it runs into a sweat; and if your rick is too 
low in the middle, the heat draws there, and it may burn; 
at any rate it will cause your tobacco to get rough in the 
middle of your rick; and just here let me say to you, keep 
the butts of your tobacco even in ricking it up, as it will 
hold the moisture much better than if it is put up uneven. 
Now you will discover after your tobacco has been put 
down some time it will begin to heat; this you will be 
able to tell beyond a doubt when you go into your cellar. 
In the early morning you will find a very strong odor 
coming from your tobacco; and if you go, and down near 
the bottom of the rank raise the butts and place your 
hand in, you will find it getting warm. Now you must 
not under any circumstances disturb it. This heating is 
only natural and it will not hurt; no matter how hot it 
gets, just let it alone, do not move it, and never put 
any weight upon it. In case it should commence to sweat 
before you are done stripping, do not even put any more 
on that rick, but make another rick; if you move it so as to 
let the air come in contact with it, your tobacco will get 
rough and bony, and you cannot change it, it will re- 
main so. You should not by any means deliver it, if sold, 
while it is sweating; but inform your buyer of the fact, 
and he will, without a doubt, advise you, just as I have 
done; if he don't he does not know what is for his bene- 
fit, or care for yours; you will both be losers. Now I 
have advised you to put up your tobacco in different ricks 
in the cellar; in fact, the wrappers in five stacks. You 
perhaps will say, why are not wrappers all wrappers? Yes, 



36 

certainly they are, but they are not all alike or else I 
would not have given you that advice. Now suppose you 
have your wrappers all on one rick, the long and the 
short, and the buyer comes to see your tobacco, he can, 
by a knowledge of his own, pull out of that rick all your 
short tobacco. Now he does not like to buy by random; 
no, he has some guide whereby he is governed and from 
which he makes his calculations. It is poor policy to sell 
by random. You should by all means be able to tell 
nearly how your tobacco runs, and by ricking it up as I 
have described, you can tell to a certainty just what you 
have got; the buyer will have no trouble to tell just what 
he can pay for it. Now cannot you see at a glance that 
my method is best for you, and best for the buyer; he has 
no need for supposition, he knows for a certainty what 
you have for sale. But on the other hand, if your tobacco 
is put up on one rick, the buyer is very apt to make his 
calculations so as to come out on the safe side himself; 
and he is not to blame for it. Now allow me to say, too, 
if you have carefully followed me from the selecting of 
your seed, through all the different processes necessary, 
you have an article to-day to offer to the buyer you have 
no reason to be ashamed of, and you will have no trouble 
to dispose of it at its full market value. That will be 
satisfactory to yourself and to your buyer, and you need 
not feel ashamed to deliver it at the appointed time and 
place, and will meet with no difficulty by so doing. 

Getting Ready to Deliver your Crop. 

This is another branch of the business which should be 
understood, as it is very necessary to be able to deliver it 
in good order; first you want a bailing box; I will describe 
a cheap one that you can make yourself, and it will give 
good satisfaction, it is made thus: Take a piece of pine 
plank, two inches thick and three feet nine inches long, 
sixteen inches wide upon the underside of this spike. 
Three pieces across the plank, one in the middle, the 
other ones four inches from either end, this is for the 
bottom. The rough should be planed off the inside of 
all the pieces, for the back a one and-a-half inch plank, 



37 

three feet three inches long, eighteen inches broad, this 
sets upon the edge of the bottom plank; one-inch boards 
of the same width, and sixteen inches long for the ends; 
nail the back down to the bottom plank, with the front 
towards you, the left hand end you nail against the back 
and down to the bottom; the right hand end should be 
fastened to the back with a pair of strap hinges, so as to 
open outward. Now you have the bottom, the back and the 
two ends; what you now want is the front, which is made 
out of inch boards, and must be twenty inches wide by 
three feet nine inches long; it can be made of two pieces, 
as it is necessary to have ledges on the outside and light 
ledges on the other side, outside of the ends, so as to keep 
it in its proper place. This is fastened to the outside 
against the bottom, by three strap hinges so as to drop 
down at will; to keep it to place, when shut, have spring 
hooks fastened on the top edge of the ends, so when 
you raise the front they will fasten themselves and hold it 
to its place; you will now find you have a box three feet 
three inches long, fourteen and a half inches wide and 
eighteen inches high; now have a good solid lid with 
ledges on to fit the box for pressing your tobacco. To 
do the pressing, place your box near a good post in the 
cellar in which you bore a number of holes to suit; with 
a crowbar, or something of the kind, a good stout stick, 
about six feet long, with a ring on the end, and an iron 
pin in the end answers the purpose. Now you have a box 
that is easily made and will not cost over two dollars, and 
will answer the purpose as well as a patent box costing 
twenty dollars, and is just as handy. Now you have a 
description of a box for bailing; now how to bale the 
crop is next in order. Now I propose to tie up in paper, 
it will make money for you and money for the packer. 
Paper enough for a bale as large as my box, and no bale 
should exceed seventy-five pounds, will cost you about 
six cents; this, and more than this, you will lose in 
weight; but this is not the case, for if the packer knows 
what is for his benefit he will insist upon you tieing in 
paper, and you get the same price for your paper as for 
your tobacco. Now how will it pay the packer in this 
way? The tobacco will dry out by being more or less 



36 

exposed to the air, especially if sweated, and there are 
several thousand leaves exposed to the outside of a bale. 
Now in handling it, fio matter how careful, there is any 
amount of them broken by being too dry, and by taking 
hold you cannot help tearing some with your fingers, and 
in other ways are broken and damaged, get light paper 
for the purpose, and just put enough on to reach around, 
tie carefully, and all this trouble and damage is avoided, 
and your tobacco goes to the packer in a condition you 
can be proud of, and he has gained considerable, and you 
are paid for your extra labor and expense; and you are 
both highiy pleased and both have confidence in each 
other. 

How to Bale your Tobacco. 

First, you want twine to tie with; this you can secure at 
any country store; cut into length to reach around your 
bale; three for each bale; place them in the box, one in 
the middle, the other two about five inches from the ends, 
fasten in that position; next place your roll of paper in 
front of your box, unroll enough to reach down and across 
your box, with the end bent over the upper edge of the 
back of your box, press down into the box and place in 
your tobacco, commencing with your first stall; fill in 
with the butts towards the ends very carefully, so as 
not to have the leaves doubied up ; fill up, rounding 
full, put on your lid, place a block on top; now get your 
lever, press down tight as possible, let it remain a bit, cut 
off your paper on the edge of your front, take off your lid 
quick, double over your paper, place your knee upon it 
to keep it there and tie it, raise your springs, let your 
front drop down, open out the end on hinges, and there 
lays your bale as if it was in the corner of a room, proceed 
thus until you are through with that grade, label them 
what they are and proceed with the next grade in the 
same way; it is not, however, necessary to tie up the fillers 
in papers; just tie with twine, without paper; but do not 
in any case disturb it while it is sweating, or you will ruin 
it; and I am safe in saying that any packer will tell you 
the same. It has been said by some growers that the 
packer would not allow them to tie in paper. I question 



39 

the truth of that assertion, as I think I have made it plain 
to every intelligent man that it is a saving to both buyer and 
seller. There is often considerable trouble between buyer 
and seller when the tobacco is delivered. Now there is 
certainly some cause for this, as I have never seen any 
trouble arise from nothing. There is no doubt unprin- 
cipled buyers, and I know there is unprincipled 'sellers. 
This I know, for I have seen this for myself. I cannot 
say anything against the buyer; for myself I have never 
had any trouble, they bought my tobacco when it was not 
stripped, and I stripped it just as I have described it to 
you here; and when I delivered it the buyer was more 
than pleased; but on the other hand, I have heard it said 
my tobacco is sold, and I don't care. I am not going 
to put very much work 'upon it; others I have seen put 
water upon it and stalks tied up in the bales. Beef heads 
and stones I have heard of, and the like, and I have been 
always of the opinion that where there is no reason for 
trouble there can be none. There may perhaps be among 
tobacco buyers as among all other classes of men, some 
one who would take the advantage, yet .when I look 
around me I wonder to myself that there is not more 
docking done than there is. I have seldom seen a man 
docked who wishes his neighbor as himself, for my part 
I have no fear of being docked when I deliver my tobacco. 
I have always prided myself in delivering tobacco that 
needs no docking; and I think*if my brother farmers 
would but follow my advice given in this work, they will 
sell their tobacco for more money, and get, when deliver- 
ed for it just what they sold it for, and have the "confi- 
dence of the buyers. 



40 



A REVIEW. 

Now, kind reader, in conclusion allow me to congratu- 
late you on having raised a good crop of tobacco, handled 
it well all through, and at last obtained a good price, 
which you are entitled to, and have gained and held the 
confidence of the buyer who bought your crop, and last 
but not least, have gained a reputation as a good and 
careful tobacco farmer, which you can hold by strictly 
following the advice so plainly laid down in this work; 
the principal point's to be attended to if the best results 
are to be obtained may be state'd in a few paragraphs. 
These paragraphs embody principles and prescribe modes 
of management nearly identical with those to be consider- 
ed in the treatment of other crops : 

ist. Give it your personal and careful attention in all 
its branches, and do not stand aloft, but see for yourself, 
and not through the medium of others; handle with your 
own hands and know of a surety that your crop is 
managed right. 

2d. Select good land for the crop, plough in autumn 
to get the multiplied benefits of winter freezes. This 
cannot be too strongly urged. 

3d. Have early and vigorous plants and plenty of them; 
it were better to have one hundred thousand too many 
than ten thousand too few. They are the corner-stone of 
the building. To make sure of them give personal atten- 
tion to the selection and improvement of the seed; the 
preparation of the plant bed, and the care of the young 
plants in the means necessary to hasten their growth and 
protect them from all dangers as they may arise. 

4th. In the preparation of and proper manuring of the 
soil, I would say collect manure in season and out of sea- 
son, and from every available source; from the fence 
corner and ditch, bank the ash pile, distribute it with a 
liberal hand, nothing short of princely liberality will 
answer; plow plenty under, both the home-made and the 
commercial early, that it may become thoroughly incor- 



41 

porated in the soil, and be ready to answer to the first 
and every call of the growing plant. Often (we believe 
generally) the greater part of manure applied to tobacco 
land. This is true of the bought fertilizer as well as that 
made on the farm, is lost to that crop by being applied too 
late. Do not fear it will all escape into the air before the 
plant needs it. This is an exploded fallacy; experience, 
our best teacher, has proven it to the contrary. 

5th. Seek to have a forward crop, as the benefits claim- 
ed for a late one from the fall dews to make more weight, 
do not compensate for the many advantages resulting 
from early maturity. 

6th. Keep the grass and weeds down, and the soil loose 
and mellow, by frequent stirring; avoid as much as pos- 
sible cutting and tearing the roots of the plants in all 
stages of its growth, and more especially after 'topping. 
In the improvements in farm implements it is oftener prac- 
ticable than is generally supposed. Substitute for handwork 
in cultivation that of the horse. The difference in cost 
will tell in the balance sheet at the close of the operation. 

7th. Attend closely to worming, for on it hinges in no 
little degree the quantity and quality of tobacco you will 
have for sale. A worm-eaten crop brings no money. 

8th. Topping is a very important part of this great work 
and requires knowledge and sound judgment, with a care- 
ful hand. See to it that the suckers are promptly removed. 
It is work quickly done, and with worming may constitute 
a single operation, and they are both very essential, the 
merest tyro knows to the full and perfect development of 
the plant. 

9th. We come now to consider the last operation in the 
field. Cutting the crop in this, as in topping, sound 
judgment is needed. The farmer should never allow a 
careless or indifferent hand to perform this part of the 
labor; be there yourself, brother farmer; see for yourself 
how it is done. No one will see the interest in it you 
will. 

10th. I have so fully described the manner of stripping 
on preceding pages, it is hardly necessary to give but a 
passing notice here. Be sure, however, to keep a careful 
watch over it and see that the long go with the long, and 



42 

the short with the short; the light in color in one hand 
and the dark in another; and have it properly classed. 

We sum up the whole by saying, do not grow too large 
an acreage; but let your aim be to grow as much on one 
acre as you do on two — at least aim at twenty-five hun- 
dred pounds to the acre. By growing good tobacco you 
will always find a ready sale fur it; but attempt to grow 
two acres more than you can properly manure and 
handle, and you make a miss with your entire crop. This 
has been the trouble in our county for the past ten years. 
Our farmers are getting too ambitious, and do not consider 
that it is not the number of acres, but the amount to the 
acre that pays the largest percentage. Allow me to close 
by saying, that it has been my object to guide you care- 
fully on from the seed to the packer, trying to help you 
over the difficulties attendiug the growing crop. By 
heeding my advice given, you will be able to stand on 
ten years experience, as safely secured against loss as your 
neighbor. What you may gain by carefully reading this 
book has taken the author many years of close study and 
many fruitless experiments, but has succumbed to none, and 
to-day stands with as good a record of sales made in the 
past as any in the county. I give it to you as my actual 
experience, and would ask you to read it carefully; con- 
sider it well and criticise it accordingly. If by reading 
this book you have gained what is necessary to become 
successful in growing the crop, you must not only read it 
carefully but be guided by it, and I feel sure this little 
book will meet with a ready welcome before this year is 
out May you receive it in the same spirit it is given. If 
you do so the ambition of the author is complete. 

The Plan for a Good Shed. 

The author of this work claims to be the first one to 
introduce the improved shed, with stationary board scaf- 
fold and open from floor to roof, with ventillation only 
at the bottom, and comb of roof. In fact the plan is 
original with him. For the benefit of the patrons of this 
work who may wish to build a shed, he gives the plan or 
at least an outline of it. Here it is : Let us suppose a 



43 

size for a shed, say sixty feet long by thirty-two feet wide. 
Before I am done I will give you my reason for this size 
or any other. Now in the first place have a good cellar 
dug out, against a hill, facing the south, if possible; have 
an eye to your own interest, and do not place it too close 
to your other buildings, in case you wish to have your shed 
insured, when full, as you could not get its value full of 
tobacco insured, in case it stood too close to your other 
buildings. Now get a good wall put up, at least eight 
feet high; on the south side have a door and four win- 
dows, have two heavy girders running lengthway and the 
joice from wall to wall; now we want a driveway through 
the middle, twelve feet wide, made, if possible, to drive 
in at one end and out at the other; this must be laid with 
jointed plank or double with inch boards, ten feet on each 
side with flooring, so as to have a perfectly tight floor; now 
we have the bottom of the building, we propose to have 
twenty-one feet to the square; then place two main posts, 
one on each side of the driveway, and start at the corner 
with a main post, and every forty-five inches another stud, 
though not so heavy, and so on until you get to the other 
corner, and you will find you will just hold out; however, 
you should have three main posts on each side fifteen 
feet apart, to receive the span plates on top, and the 
braces from the floor, the other end fix with two more 
main posts at the driveway, and by starting again from 
the corner, make just as the other side with three main 
posts and a light one at every forty-five inches; now brace 
from the floor to within one foot of the top of the corner 
posts, and seven and a half feet out at the bottom; now 
you want two more studs in each end, between the corner 
posts and the driveway posts, and a brace at each one of 
those mainposts in the sides, from the floor to within one 
foot of the top; now you want five spans over the top, 
morticed on top of those heavy posts and your rafter 
plates, and your skeleton in complete. Now you want 
two light stringers, the lengthwise of the building on top 
of the spans from the top of the driveway posts, one on 
each side to receive and keep in place your inside studs, 
which is set in line with the two main driveway posts, just 
forty-five inches apart; now leave your driveway twelve 



44 

feet high so as to answer any emergency; now the scaffold 
is just six inch board, running the crossway of the building, 
starting at the span, which answers for one; now the first 
four from the top down, have four feet four inches apart, 
which will let three feet eight inches for the short 
tobacco, which is always last coming in; use nothing but 
long braces; now have it boarded up with worked boards 
so as to be perfectly tight; let at the bottom next to the 
plate, a door at least two feet wide to hang on hinges to 
open or shut at will, and a cupola extending the entire 
length of the roof, with doors; this is all the ventilation 
you want, and the only ventilation you should use; thus, 
with this ventilation at your hand you can close your shed 
in time of damp foggy weather, thereby preventing your to- 
bacco from pole- rot, which is ver> common where damp 
air cannot be kept out. Now have your cellar well 
plastered so as to have it tight, and have a room cut off 
at least eight feet wide on the south side, the entire length 
of your building, with a close partition for a stripping room, 
have on a level with the bottom of your windows, a table 
made the lengthway for stripping and sorting; have it made 
strong and out of surfaced boards; you want about three 
trap doors in the floor so as to get your tobacco from the 
building to the celiar for dampening; perhaps you may 
not need so large a shed; if not, just start at a^given point 
and measure forty-five inches; make a mark then; mea- 
sure forty-five inches again and you can stop at the end 
of any number of measurements ycu wish, and you have 
no vacant room. This is the reason why I proposed a 
shed sixty feet long, as you can see at a glance that this 
just comes out even, so will thirty or ninety or a hundred 
and twenty feet. I have given you a faint outline of the 
best shed now in use; you cannot, however, get an idea 
of the advantages of a good convenient shed with' damp- 
ening cellar and stripping room until you have one 
yourself. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 



The Selecting and Management of the Seed Stalk . . 5 

The Selection of the Seed Bed 7 

The Preparation of the Seed Bed 8 

How to Sprout the Seed 9 

The Proper Time for Sowing Seed 10 

How to Sow the Seed 10 

Management of Plants 11 

How to Prepare the Ground for Transplanting . . 12 

The Time for Planting 14 

How to Plant Tobacco 15 

Cultivating the Tobacco 19 

The Tobacco Worm 20 

The Process of Topping 21 

Suckering the Tobacco 22 

How to Cut the Tobacco 23 

How to Hang the Crop in the Shed 25 

Proper Ventilation of your Building 27 

When is the Crop Ready to Strip 28 

One Way to Strip Tobacco . 28 

The Proper Way to Strip Tobacco 32 

How to Rick it up in the Cellar 34 

Getting Ready to Deliver Your Crop 36 

How to Bale Your Tobacco 38 

A Review 39 

The Plan for a Good Shed 42 



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